A Great Purchase

Author's Rating:

Pros: Affordable, Light Weight, Easy to Use, Great Features

Cons: "End Review" Feature is not very efficient

The Bottom Line: 
I would recommend this affordable Hi8 camera to anyone who wants something semi-professional but easy to use. It is durable, well built, and delivers big bang for the price tag.

Author's Review
The Sony CCD-TR517 Hi8 Handycam is a wonderful product.

PICTURE: The quality is above average, especially when the user takes advantage of the Super Video output capability of this camera.

SOUND: Sound quality is comparable to CD sound. You must remember to turn the Digital filter ON when there is wind or else the wind will greatly interfere with your audio recording. The microphone is sensitive and works great with the zoom features. By zooming in to your subject, the audio also focuses on the subject more closely.

FEATURES: This camera is the perfect gift for anyone interested in making semi-professional home videos. The Digital features allow many variations of screen presentation. You can choose the Old Cinema Mode = widescreen presentation with a sepia filter and a slower shutter speed... AMAZING EFFECT! You can Wash the Screen with Pastel Colors, a Photo Negative Effect, Black & White, Various Shutter Speeds, etc. You can also select from many different fade and wipe options. The Title function is easy to use and allows you to save titles or choose from a number of pre-set titles (ex. Happy Birthday). You can even change the color of the characters, size or location on the screen.

CON: The "End Review" Feature loses efficiency very quickly. After only 3 months of use (about 7 hours of use per month), the "End Review" function was no longer effective. If you are using the camera for home footage and everyday usage, this does not pose a problem, however, if you are using the camera for skit production/movie making, the problem is quite disruptive. The function is supposed to allow you to review what was just recorded and then start recording again from the exact place you stopped. So, you are with some friends and you are taping a home skit/movie... you tape a scene and don't know how it turned out... you just review it and then hit the End Review button to begin taping again from where you left off. As this feature fails, you can not review what you just recorded because the camera begins to inaccurately bring you back to where you stopped recording.. it begins to start recording a little too early, or late, thus not allowing you to judge what may or may not be taped over when you resume taping. I have also noticed that the flying erase heads have lost some of their efficiency as well. This is a nightmare for people who film movies/skits because it makes proper editing very difficult. But let me remind you... if you are not going to be manually editing and making serious skits/films with your friends, then this camera is a true gem.